How to Save a Life
by Itachi's Husband
Summary: [Modern AU. Multi-chapter one-shot. Song fic] Sasori has a drinking problem. Kakuzu's a drug addict. Itachi is suffering from brain damage. Three different walks of life. Three different circumstances. Three worried friends. One end. (Based on The Fray's "How to Save a Life")
1. We Need to Talk

**Hey guys! As the summary suggests, this is a multi-chapter one-shot sort of deal that puts select members of the Akatsuki into the words of The Fray's hit song "How to Save a Life." I started this fic back in March of this year and waited until now to upload any of it because I couldn't find a way to relate the third verse with any scenario that would fit the characters who appear in that chapter until...yesterday! So with the next 2 chapters finished and waiting to upload, and the last chapter left to write still, I present to you the first installment of "How to Save a Life" and hope you enjoy it!**

 **Oh, and one more thing! I highly recommend listening to the song first; this chapter covers the first verse, and hopefully you will be able to pick out some of the lyrics (I don't mention all of them) and relate the concepts back to the song ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters; all rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I also do not own the song "How to Save a Life;" all rights belong to The Fray (my all time favorite band!)**

* * *

 _~For The Secret Sal and AbsoluteAnarchy; the ones who encouraged me to finish this~_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: We Need to Talk**

There's something to be said for a twenty-four year to be lounging around in his pajamas all evening, binge-watching Marvel's "Agents of Shield" on Netflix while eating a bowl of fruit loops, but Deidara didn't care; he wouldn't have it any other way.

A tiny explosion sounded from beside him, alerting him to a newly received text-message. Eyes glued to the TV screen, he fumbled for the little electronic device until he held it comfortably in his hand. He glanced at the name of the sender and placed his bowl on the coffee table.

"Wanna have a few drinks 2nite?" The text from Sasori read.

A year ago, Deidara would've happily agreed. In fact, Deidara only remembered one or two Friday nights he didn't spend at a bar or club of some sort. On the first occasion, he had spent the entire day sick in bed with the stomach flu and the second he'd just been released from the hospital for a broken leg when he fell out of a dumpster while dumpster diving. He seemed to remember Sasori urging him to "suck it up" and go out regardless, but both times, Deidara refused.

In the months since then, Sasori had found a new job working for a business that specialized in providing entertainment for children's birthday parties and other special events, while Deidara had scored his dream job working downtown doing graphic design for a monthly arts magazine.

Each led the men their separate ways with Sasori working odd hours on commission and Deidara working a salaried job from nine to five on the weekends. The funny thing about it was that the nine to five part was really only on paper. Most weeks, he had massive projects and assignments that he needed to complete long past five and come in on Saturdays and even Sundays sometimes to finish which quickly destroyed his and Sasori's weekend drinking plans.

It wasn't what either of them wanted, but Deidara eventually learned to get on without getting completely wasted every Friday night and hung-over every Saturday. Sasori, on the other hand, grew more dependent on the pastime, using it to escape his chaotic, less-than-pleasant line of work, and searched for ways to cram it in, with or without Deidara.

It was Friday. Sasori might have had the luxury to go out and spend the next day hung-over without any repercussions, but Deidara had a date with his Netflix account and work the next morning.

"Yes, no, maybe?" Sasori texted back.

Deidara glanced at his phone, then at his long-forgotten cereal bowl, then at the ending credits flashing by on the TV screen, and then back at his phone again.

"I'll be there in 15." He typed back with a sigh and set off to change into his street clothes.

If he kept to his limits tonight, he might be able to work the next day with a mild headache or none at all. But drinking with Sasori never ended well. In that case, he'd have to call in sick and he had way too much to get done to afford missing work.

By slipping his phone into his pocket, he resigned himself to his fate and grabbed his keys. He had no reason to say no, and now that he'd said yes, he had no excuse to back out.

-8-8-8-

"Ready?" Sasori asked when Deidara arrived, running his hand through his short hair to give it more volume. Deidara nodded, stepping out onto the pavement. "Are we taking your car, or mine?" Sasori asked.

"Mine, I guess." Deidara answered uncertainly. Taking his car would give him a reason to stay sober in order to drive them both home later on, which was a plus.

"Oh good." Sasori said, locking the door to his apartment.

Deidara opened the door to the driver's side once more and sat inside, waiting for Sasori to claim shotgun.

"If we took my car, you'd still have to drive." He said, upon getting in. "And we'd have to stop for gas on the way there."

"Did you eat yet?" Deidara asked, ignoring the comment. Ever since Sasori got this new job of his, he'd been steadily neglecting his diet in favor of work. And knowing what they were about to do, Deidara wanted to be safe, rather than sorry.

"I'll eat something when we get there."

Deidara forced a grin and chuckled at his friend's comment but made no move to start the car.

It wasn't long before Sasori noticed this, waving his hand in front of Deidara's eyes. "Hello? Earth to Deidara, are you going to start the car or not?"

"Sasori," he said, "we need to talk."

Sasori stared at his companion like he'd just proposed they murder a guy instead. "Talk about what? Can't this wait until we get to the bar?"

"We need to talk…about your drinking habit." Deidara uttered, finding the words he had been too afraid to say for a month now.

Sasori's look of confusion quickly morphed into one of betrayal. "I knew I shouldn't have asked you to come out tonight." He spat, opening the car door.

"Sasori, come on!" Deidara yelled after him and rolled down the driver's side window. "It's just a talk!"

Sasori glared at him and stalked over to the window. "Go home and watch your TV shows if you're worried about being too hung over to work tomorrow, Deidara. I'll go by myself." He smiled smugly.

He watched Sasori's retreating back as he walked up the steps to his front door and disappeared inside. He emerged a few minutes later, car keys in hand, and refused to make eye contact with him. Even after he got into his car and pulled out of the driveway, all Deidara could manage to do was stare out the passenger side window where Sasori's car had been.

Deidara knew that Sasori was unhappy with his job. He hated working for the people he worked for, the hours were long, the pay was terrible, and what's more, he hated working with children. He knew that Sasori was a party-animal; he hadn't changed in the years since Deidara had first met the man. Sasori loved to drink, that, Deidara knew. Deidara also knew that combined with the stress of his job, Sasori had developed a drinking problem.

Deidara knew that if something wasn't done, Sasori would eventually overdo it. He also knew that if no one intervened, nothing would be done. Deidara was the only person who could do anything for Sasori, and all he had managed to accomplish was angering him.

And now that Sasori was angry, he would probably drink more. And since he was driving, he would probably drive home drunk. And if worst came to worst, he might accidentally kill someone, or kill himself in the process.

Deidara could help but wonder if he'd driven them both to the bar, he could've stopped Sasori there. Instead, he only managed to make things even worse.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter...the second is soon to come and focuses on a different Akatsuki pair as we delve into the second verse of the song (I'm saving the chorus for the end ;)**

 **Until next time~**

 **-Sasori33-001**

 **PS: The idea for this is loosely tied to a music video I saw on YouTube that is no longer available for viewing in my country which is a shame as that was one of my favorite videos of all time! (But the concepts I've use here are original to me ;)**


	2. Pray to God He Hears You

**WARNING: This chapter contains foul language and mentions of drug usage. Viewer discretion advised ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Pray to God He Hears You**

At first, it annoyed him. The man had just gotten a heart transplant, a fucking heart transplant, and he was back to smoking pot.

But, first, let's set the record straight: Hidan wasn't about to give his longtime pal a hard time. If Kakuzu had to stop smoking pot to get a heart transplant, he would do so but he'd make it a point to smoke a joint the minute he got out of the hospital.

But then again, if pot was what failed his heart in the first place, you'd think that he would be scared out of his mind to try it again.

It didn't stop, however. Instead, Kakuzu went back to smoking a joint a day as if nothing had happened. And Hidan was thoroughly pissed off about it.

And he set out to make damn sure that Kakuzu knew it too.

"You just got out of the fucking hospital, and you're smoking a joint? What the hell?" Hidan demanded.

Kakuzu's eyes held a lack of interest as he lit the joint and stuck it between his lips. "New heart, new set of cards."

So that's how he wanted to play it? "Oh yeah? And what if the game doesn't go the way you planned? Then what? You gonna start all over again and sign up to get a new heart?!"

But Kakuzu wasn't listening to him.

So he tried a different tactic.

"You remember how we met?" Hidan asked sweetly one day, letting the screen door violently slam behind him. The stupid thing didn't shut right anyways.

"Does it matter?" Kakuzu asked. He was, predictably, smoking another joint, but outside this time. "I'm stuck with you now."

"I was in for aggravated assault and you were doing time for drug possession." He said and stood next to his long-time "partner in crime" and placed a hand on the older man's shoulder. "Look how far we've come." Hidan sighed.

"You nearly killed a guy a few weeks ago and I'm smoking pot even after I got a heart transplant. If you ask me, we're not much different than we were back then." Kakuzu muttered.

"True." Hidan agreed, nodding his head. "But back then, your heart was in working condition. Don't you want to live long enough to see us share another cell together again?" He asked, and took the joint from Kakuzu's mouth to put it in his own.

"Get your own, you obnoxious prick." Kakuzu hissed, ripping the joint out of Hidan's mouth and placing it back in his own. "And maybe I never want to see the day when I share a cell with you again. Most miserable forty-three days of my life."

-8-8-8-

He tried to ignore it. He tried to talk him out of it. And when all else failed, as he feared it would, the only thing left to do was give it to him straight.

"You know how fucking ugly you look with those blood-shot eyes of yours?" Hidan greeted him early one morning.

Kakuzu didn't turn to look at him, instead, narrowing his eyes dangerously to persuade Hidan to leave him alone. "I'm sorry if I'm not attractive enough for you. Pleasing you was never on my agenda."

"We're not talking about me, here!" Hidan yelled, wrenching one of the chairs out from the table where Kakuzu was sitting, causing a deafening screech. But he didn't care. "What about your future girlfriend, huh? 'Cuz the last time I checked, chicks don't find guys with red and green eyes attractive, buddy!"

"I'm too old to be concerned with something as pointless as love."

"Yeah! You're right! You are too old! Too old to be smoking as many joints in a day as you do!" Hidan shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the joint Kakuzu currently held between his fingers. "You know, maybe I'd be fine with it if you did it behind my back, but you don't even care enough to do that, do you?! Huh? Do you!?"

Hidan was standing up now, his hands firmly planted on the table's surface, and his face only inches away from Kakuzu's. At this, Kakuzu stood up, knocking his chair out from under him and grabbed Hidan by the shirt, throwing him up against the wall. "I'm not sure what deluded fantasy you're living in, and maybe you should get that checked. But you and I have never been friends, or 'buddies' or 'pals.' I've only stuck with you for so long because you promised me that you 'knew people' who would supply me with this. In short, I've only stuck with you because I thought this _partnership_ would be profitable for _me_." He grit out from between his teeth and dropped Hidan to the floor.

"So you don't care about your health? 'Cuz listen, I don't care why you stick with me, or what you do. In fact, I don't even give a damn, but it just pisses me off that you needed to get a heart transplant because of this little 'pastime' of yours and you're abusing it!"

"Hidan!" Kakuzu grunted.

In his anger, Hidan had been so preoccupied picking himself up off the floor to realize that Kakuzu himself had collapsed and was clutching at his chest.

A few moments ago, it was Kakuzu who had Hidan pinned against the wall and was towering above him. Now the tables had turned and it was Hidan who stood above him as Kakuzu writhed on the floor.

"You've gotta be kidding me! You just got a new heart and you're already suffering the consequences!"

"Shut up." Kakuzu groaned. "And call an ambulance."

Hidan frantically pulled his cellphone from his pocket and called for an ambulance, stating that his friend had collapsed and that his heart might be failing. He was then instructed to perform CPR and was briefly led through it by the emergency dispatch officer on the other end of the line. He'd only tucked the phone beneath his ear to start when Kakuzu batted it away, knocking it clear into the other side of the room.

"Kakuzu!? What the hell was that for?" Hidan cried and moved to get it when Kakuzu grabbed his arm. "What're you doing!?"

"The joint. Hide it." He ground out.

The stupid idiot was dying of a heart attack and he wanted him to hide the evidence? "Yeah, sure, they're gonna come in here and think it smells like flowers, and oh, by the way, there's a guy dying of a heart attack who's obviously been smoking pot! Brilliant plan, there, buddy, brilliant plan!"

"Then tell them…that it's…yours." He said hoarsely.

Just then, they both heard the sirens on the horizon, steadily increasing until the sound of doors slamming alerted the two that the paramedics were outside their door.

"I sure hope this teaches you a lesson." Hidan whispered as they wheeled Kakuzu into the back of the ambulance. Once he was secured in the back, one of the paramedics gestured for Hidan to hop in with them, but he declined.

When the doors to the ambulance closed, he pulled the silver chain he wore around his neck up and off his head. Holding the silver cross at the end to his face, he closed his eyes and prayed that this time, Kakuzu's near brush with death would teach him a lesson.

And when he opened his eyes, the ambulance was gone, and all was silent.

* * *

 **And that concludes chapter two! I hope you enjoyed it; I didn't put much research into this one, so if anything is inconsistent, I apologize (I am obviously not a drug dealer!) And other than that, I don't really have much else to say so...**

 **Until next time~**

 **Sasori33-001**


	3. Grant Him One Last Choice

**[A/N]: I must say that I wrote this chapter (and the next chapter) rather recently whereas the other two chapters were written approx. 5 months prior which (hopefully) explains the change in style!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Grant Him One Last Choice**

Why did time always seem to move slower on Friday afternoons, Kisame found himself wondering as he absentmindedly tapped his pen against his desk, waiting for the clock to strike five. Whatever. It didn't matter anymore as it was now five o'clock and Kisame was free to go home and relax for a few days before diving back into the same old boring routine again.

"Ready to go, Itachi?" Kisame asked, swinging around the corner to where Itachi's office was.

"Because of one forgotten report?" He heard Itachi ask and peered inside to see their boss discussing something with him.

"Itachi," their boss said, taking a few steps backward to shut the door behind them for a little more privacy, "this has happened several times in the past few weeks," was all Kisame heard before the door was pulled shut in front of him.

After a few minutes spent casually leaning against the wall outside of Itachi's office, the door opened up, allowing Kisame to hear the last few bits of the conversation.

"I'm fine." Itachi said in an even tone, but if he knew his co-worker as well as he thought he did, Itachi was probably glaring at the man who signed their paychecks every other week.

"It wasn't a suggestion." Yahiko said with an equally threatening glare. "Have a good weekend, you two." He said, offering a short nod in Kisame's direction before walking down the hall.

As soon as he turned the corner, Kisame stalked into Itachi's office where the younger man was calmly putting his papers in his bag. "Sorry about that." He said and hoisted his bag over his shoulder. "Are we ready to go?"

-8-8-8-

"What was that all about?" Kisame asked in reference to the conversation he had overheard in the office earlier.

Itachi rolled his eyes. "It was nothing." He said, and set his bag down by the door until he took it upstairs later on, something Kisame had picked up on when Itachi finally moved in with him after the accident.

"Oh really?" Kisame asked, both surprised and skeptical at the same time. "If that's the case, then why did Yahiko say that it 'wasn't a suggestion' then?"

"He wants me to take some time off so that I can get my act together or something." Itachi muttered, disappearing into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Another habit Kisame picked up on within the past few weeks.

Kisame nodded and hovered by the kitchen doorway. "That sounds like a good idea, actually." He muttered and glanced at Itachi.

"You think so?" Itachi asked, pulling a black mug from one of the overhead cabinets.

Kisame nodded.

"I disagree." He said. "I'm fine. After a couple of days of hospital supervision and a few days of rest and counseling, I was clear to go back to work and now he thinks that I'm not 'performing' at the level he's come to expect of me?"

Kisame averted his eyes to the little metal trashcan sitting by the doorway while he thought of the safest way to respond to his impromptu roommate's dilemma. "Well…" He started, not having any real idea where he was going with this exactly.

It turns out that he didn't need to as Itachi continued speaking. "How can he expect me to perform the way I did a more than a month ago? I was in a car accident and sustained a mild concussion as well as emotional and psychological damage so of course I can't remember to do everything he asks, but the doctor said that would pass with time!"

Kisame nodded. He remembered when Itachi was transferred to his department of the corporation. In the weeks ahead of time, everyone around him couldn't stop gossiping about the young prodigy who came straight out of college and had excelled in the finance division of their company before being promoted to upper-level management. And while the kid was indeed a genius who had a head for business and finances, he wasn't much of a talker. He never was, a fact that Itachi himself told Kisame when they first met. And over the few years that he'd known the man, if something was bothering Itachi, you wouldn't know it because he'd carry on with his day as if nothing had happened. That, and he wouldn't let on that there was anything bothering him either. That's just who he was.

For a born prodigy who excelled at everything he touched, Itachi was also very reserved and modest, always thanking others if they did anything for him, no matter how simple the task. And he was never one to speak without first considering what he wanted to say, how he needed to say it, and the effect it would have on the person he was speaking to.

That's just how Itachi Uchiha was.

But the Itachi who stood before him was not the Itachi Kisame had come to know over the years. This Itachi didn't enjoy unwarranted interaction and didn't hesitate to let others know that through hardened glares. And this Itachi also had a very short temper and would take the defensive straight away without first considering what it was that the other person had confronted him about.

Ever since that car accident rainy August night, Itachi Uchiha had changed.

"What do you think, Kisame?" Itachi asked, placing a kettle on the stove to boil.

"I agree."

"You agree with what?"

"With what Yahiko had to say."

Itachi whirled around, his eyes wide with betrayal. "Come again?"

Kisame shrugged. "It's nothing personal Itachi, but ever since that car accident, you haven't been yourself."

"How?" Itachi demanded.

"Well, to start, you're always on edge and quick to anger, and your reasoning isn't as sharp as it used to be." Kisame explained.

"All of which are symptoms of a mild concussion, which I have." Itachi angrily retorted.

"Symptoms which would fade with rest; something you haven't allowed your body to have enough of since your accident."

Itachi shook his head. "I'm still functioning, aren't I?"

"Sure, you're walking and breathing, but your mental state has been compromised; you're sick and you're not giving your body enough time to heal and it's hurting your performance at work."

"I may forget to send out a few e-mails here and there, and you're right, I have been feeling agitated lately because everyone thinks that because my brother died in a car accident that I'm going to fall apart any minute now!"

"And for a good reason, Itachi! Listen to yourself!" Kisame cried, gesturing to Itachi's person with an open palm. "This isn't like you to get so angry that you feel the need to rant and rave about something as miniscule as taking some personal time off! Our boss is _giving_ you permission to take the time you need so your brain can heal and so that you can return back to normal!" Kisame said with a short laugh bred from nervousness. "Think about it, you'll sleep better, you won't feel so sick to your stomach anymore, you'll gain back the weight you've lost, you'll sleep better, and you'll feel happier!" Kisame said.

"Where are your car keys?" Itachi asked with an outstretched palm.

"My car keys?" Kisame asked.

Itachi nodded.

"Why do you need them?"

"To take a drive."

Kisame raised a skeptical brow. "Why?"

"To clear my head." Itachi responded. "You said that I need to take a deep breath, thus implying that I need to calm down, and driving helps me do that. So I'm going to ask you again, where are your keys?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Itachi." Kisame said.

"Why not?" Itachi asked, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You just said that I was 'on edge,' Kisame, can you make up your mind already? Which is it? Do you want me to calm down or not?"

"I want you to calm down, Itachi, but driving isn't he way to do it." He said and sighed heavily. "Need I remind you that you're not completely one hundred percent yet? Have you ever wondered why you agreed to stay at my house with me after you were released from the hospital and why we commute to work together every morning and afternoon and why I'm always the one who drives? Because you were involved in a _car accident_ a month ago Itachi, and you're _still_ suffering from a concussion _and_ depression because of it so if I give you my car keys, there is a good chance that you could drive yourself off the road in your current condition." He said and decided that he had had enough of Itachi's attitude as of late. Itachi was an adult who could make his own decisions. Hell, he'd been making his own decisions ever since he was discharged from the hospital despite what Kisame had to say in opposition. "But who am I to tell you what to do? Drive until you lose the road if that's what you want." He chuckled. "Or you can go back home if you want to. Nothing's keeping you here."

Itachi stayed silent, staring at the tiled floor beneath their feet.

"But listen to me, Itachi," Kisame said, "whether you like it or not, you are _sick_. You're still recovering from a mild concussion and coming to terms with the fact that your brother was in the car when you got into the accident and died as a result of that which is why you've been depressed as well lately. And aside from your recovery in the hospital, you were fine for a while. A little withdrawn, but that was to be expected. Believe me, if my sibling just died in the car and I was driving, I'd feel the same way." He said, and swallowed before continuing. "But something's changed in the past few weeks. You're different somehow. Maybe it's the concussion of the grief, I don't know what, but something is definitely different and needs to be addressed."

Kisame honestly didn't know what he had expected Itachi to say in response. Well, that wasn't entirely true. For one, he was expecting Itachi to open up and admit that their boss was right and that it was foolish of him to rush back into work so soon after being discharged from the hospital or that he had stopped seeing his therapist and taking his medicines in some sort of punishment for being the cause of his brother's death, which wasn't true at all. But Itachi didn't believe that, and if he had continued seeing his therapist, he would begin to accept that that wasn't the truth. Not at all.

"You're right." Itachi whispered.

Kisame smiled and looked up to meet Itachi's eyes but Itachi was no longer standing in front of him.

"I'm just not the same as I was anymore."He said and plucked Kisame's car keys from the key holder by the door.

* * *

 **One more chapter to go!**

 **Background info: The crash that killed Sasuke. It was Fugaku's birthday (Aug. 16th) and the brothers (grown) were heading to their parents' home to celebrate. Sasuke's car was in the shop, so Itachi volunteered to drive him. During the course of the celebration, it started to rain (think small hurricane sort of deal) and despite Fugaku and Mikoto's suggestion to the brothers to wait out the storm, Sasuke had an important job interview the next morning that he needed to go home and prepare for that night and Itachi, thinking that the storm hadn't gotten that bad yet and being a sucker for his younger brother's every need, agreed to drive him back home. In short, hurricane-like conditions + hill = hydroplaning. The bottom line is that Itachi walked away from it with a mild concussion while Sasuke didn't walk away from it at all. I didn't give much thought as to what exactly happened to cause this aside from the hydroplaning, because it wasn't really relevant to the story line as a whole.**

 **Until next time~**

 **Sasori33-001**

 **PS: I also have to apologize for Itachi's OOCness...I feel that the other characters' personalities are very true to their canon personas, but because of Itachi's head injury, I needed him to lose his composure a little bit...**


	4. How to Save a Life

**WARNING: Parts of this chapter contain ( _very_ ) foul language and mentions of drug usage. Viewer discretion advised ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: How to Save a Life**

 _"_ _Where did I go wrong?"_ Kisame thought to himself as he stared at the insides of his eyelids, waiting for sleep to claim him. The answer was simple: it was a mistake to let Itachi take his car in his condition. The man was in a car accident a little over a month ago and had a minor concussion, for God's sake!

He didn't dare look at the time on the clock beside his head. He knew it was well past midnight and Itachi hadn't come back yet. _How long does it take to clear your head? Better yet, how much gas does it take to clear your head?_ He wondered. Itachi had the money, no doubt, but it was Kisame's mileage that he was worried about. _What if something happened? Should I have called the police?_ He wondered for the thousandth time since Itachi didn't return after two hours. _He's an adult,_ he reasoned, _he should be fine._

 _An adult recovering from a head injury._

His eyes popped open the moment his cell phone sounded as he turned on his side to answer it.

 _'_ _Call from Itachi Uchiha'_ it read.

 _It's about time._ "Hey, is everything okay?" Kisame answered. It did not escape his notice that it was 1:56 am which was cause for alarm in and of itself, but he squelched it. Itachi was on the other end of the line, which meant that he was alive at least. Kisame could deal with everything else.

But Itachi had his car. Damn it.

"This is a 911 dispatcher, is this Kisame Hoshigaki?" A woman asked him.

And just like that, all the breath contained in his lungs froze as his heart slowed to a dull beat. "Y-yes." Kisame stuttered, blinking away the shock in an attempt to regain his breath again.

"Do you have any relation to Itachi Uchiha?"

"Yes?" Kisame answered before realizing that answering "yes" or "no" wasn't a sufficient response. "He's my co-worker and roommate."

The dispatcher sighed, which was never a good sign.

"Is everything okay?" Kisame asked in uncertainty.

"We dialed the most recent number we were able to find on your co-worker's phone."

"Is everything okay?" He asked for the third time. Was it really that hard to get information?

She sighed again. "I'm afraid there's been an accident."

 _Not again._ "Is he okay?"

"I'm afraid not. Your co-worker is dead." She sighed.

Fifteen hours ago, he and Itachi were going through the motions like they did every morning since Itachi moved in. Kisame would wake up first and take a shower before heading over to the nearest service station to get an on-the-go breakfast sandwich as Itachi claimed the smell made him nauseous like everything else that Kisame ate around him, and would scarf it down in the car before returning back to pick up Itachi who would be dressed and ready by the time he returned.

Twelve hours ago, Kisame swung by Itachi's office as he always did around this time, to ask his co-worker if he wanted to take a break to eat lunch with him. And as always, Itachi would shoot him a glare and remind Kisame that he wasn't very hungry anymore these days. But no matter how many times the Uchiha reminded him of this, Kisame still came around every weekday at noon to see if his answer would change.

Eight hours ago, the pair was arguing over Itachi's attitude since the accident. There was only so much Kisame could do to help the younger man out, after all. He might have offered him a place to stay while he got back up on his feet, but Itachi made no attempt to eat, to gain back the weight he had lost in the past month. He had long since canceled the appointments with his therapist, God knew how many of those he had attended, and on top of that, he was neglecting to take his medicines. The very pills that would ease his headaches and nausea and would allow him to sleep soundly through the night and wake up refreshed and ready to start the new day. But instead, Itachi was silent. He ate very little for breakfast, skipped lunch, and usually ate a late dinner if he ate dinner at all and it showed. And he was never happy. He didn't smile, or show any emotion aside from anger, disgust, and frustration towards others – namely, their boss and Kisame who were the only two people he really talked to anymore.

And less than an hour ago – maybe even longer than that – Itachi had died.

And within a minute of hearing the news of his roommate's death, one thing had made itself startlingly clear to Kisame.

 _I lost a friend_.

-8-8-8-

"Fucking cunt." Hidan muttered as he rubbed his neck. He would no doubt sport a lovely hand shaped bruise there tomorrow morning, that was for sure. Heck, it was probably already coloring by now, but it was late and there wasn't a reflective surface for him to check. "Who did the guy think he was choking me like that? He could've crushed my goddamned throat, the fucking son of a—" He was saying when he caught the familiar sight of an alternating flash of red and blue up ahead.

 _The fuzz!_ Alerted, Hidan looked around for any cops that might be hiding in the bushes waiting for the perfect time to take him down and ducked behind somebody's porch stoop.

Zangei or whatever the fuck Kakuzu's dealer was didn't live in this part of town, so he couldn't be getting weeded out by the police. Hidan chuckled to himself as he considered the irony of the police "weeding" someone out for possession of "weed." Too fucking funny, if you asked him.

Maybe he was caught dealing it to someone? Maybe a snooping neighbor who couldn't sleep called the cops when they saw some sneaky stuff going down in front of their house? Or maybe he was selling it to a snitch! Or better yet, maybe a cop had put someone up to lure Zan-what's his face out into the open!

Hidan had to see this. It was too good to resist, catching a glimpse of baldie getting what he deserved. Especially after he sent his buddy after Hidan because he didn't trust him.

Like a stealth albino ninja, Hidan crept along the side of the brick buildings to the street corner to catch a glimpse of the action occurring right before his very eyes. But instead of seeing two parked cop cars while a pair of officers pushed Zangei into one of the vehicles to cuff him, Hidan saw instead an ambulance, two cop cars, two totaled automobiles blocking the street, and a couple of curious neighbors clad in their robes and pajamas.

"What the hell? This isn't a police bust..." Hidan uttered.

"Hey! You there!" One of the officers called out to him.

Hidan's eyes widened as he realized that, in his confusion, he had stepped out into the light and was fully visible for all to see. His translucent hair didn't help matters any as he considered what to do. His first thought was to run, but if he ran, he'd look suspicious. But if they knew who he was, they might become suspicious and call him down to the station, and he did _not_ need to do any more time this year.

"Do you live here?" The officer asked him before he decided what to do.

 _Well, it's too late to run, I guess. I'll just have to play it cool for now._ "Sorta. Yeah." He answered vaguely so that the man wouldn't associate him with all the other addicts and drug dealers who inhabited his part of town like fucking cockroaches.

"Did you happen to witness what took place here tonight?" He asked him.

Hidan shook his head. "Nah."

"So you didn't see anything at all here?"

"Nope. Just taking a walk."

The officer glanced skyward. "At nearly two in the morning?" He asked.

Okay, now he was getting on Hidan's last nerve. "I know it sounds crazy, but a good friend of mine just got carried away in an ambulance not too long ago, and I needed to clear my head."

"This friend wouldn't happen to be a dark-skinned older male suffering from a major heart attack, would he?" The officer asked.

Shit. Someway, somehow, this man knew that Kakuzu had gone into heart failure from the joint he had been smoking and somehow linked him back to Hidan. _Shit_.

"If that's the case, your friend there," he said, gesturing to the ambulance over his shoulder, "didn't make it in time because of the accident that occurred earlier this evening."

"What are you saying?" Hidan asked. "Yeah, that's my friend then. What are you saying? Is he alive or not?"

"I'm afraid he died en route. Sorry for your loss." The officer replied and placed a comforting hand on Hidan's shoulder only for the albino to push it away.

This was his fault. If he wasn't so hell-bent on making Kakuzu see the error in his ways, maybe he wouldn't have gotten so worked up and sent his heart into overdrive. And over what? A tiny, fucking joint of all things. What's worse, somewhere along in the bitterness of their argument, Hidan had gotten so annoyed that he hadn't even accompanied his long-time partner in crime to the hospital during his final hours.

"Some long-time partner I am." Hidan whispered under his breath.

"Excuse me?" The officer asked. "Were you two…together?"

"Fuck no!" Hidan cried and stalked down the sidewalk, pushing his hands into his pockets. _…you and I have never been friends, or 'buddies' or 'pals.' I've only stuck with you for so long because you promised me that you 'knew people' who would supply me with this. In short, I've only stuck with you because I thought this_ partnership _would be profitable for_ me _…_ Hidan remembered Kakuzu saying earlier that morning and whispered _._ "We weren't anything."

-8-8-8

Deidara had a feeling that something wasn't quite right when he saw the flashing lights up ahead. And curious by nature, he _had_ to see what was going on down there when he passed by. An ambulance. A handful of cops and paramedics. A dozen or so neighbors gathered around wearing whatever could be quickly thrown on. And two smashed cars. More specifically, an SUV with a smashed windshield and imploded hood that had seemingly collided with a much smaller car, a Buick or something, with two smashed headlights and a windshield cracked with such fine detail that it rivaled a spider's web.

And if you looked closely enough, the smaller car was missing the lid of the gas tank on the side that had missed the collision, the side Deidara accidentally sideswiped when he put the car into drive instead of reverse a month ago after a night of drinking with Sasori…

"What happened?" Deidara asked one of the nearest officers when he arrived at the scene, trying to regain his breath from running a block to get there.

"We don't know all the details yet, son." The officer replied. "But it looks like a two car collision caused by a drunk driver."

 _Oh no…_

"What did the driver look like?" Deidara breathed. He really needed to go back to the gym one of these days, but that wasn't important at the moment. So long as he was standing and breathing, he would be fine.

"Unless you're related to the deceased, we can't divulge that information, son."

 _Deceased?_ "My friend's car looks exactly like that!" Deidara explained, pointing to the missing gas tank lid. "I was with him several hours ago. Is he dead, yeah?"

" _Yeah,_ unfortunately, the victims of the crash were pronounced dead at the scene, and due to the sudden road blockage, the man being transported to the hospital died in the ambulance on the way."

"Can I see him? Where is he?" Deidara pleaded, frantically looking around for that familiar head of red hair.

The officer regarded him for a moment before consulting with another officer. While they talked, Deidara couldn't help but overhear a clearly frazzled man with toned muscles talking to one of the paramedics behind him. "I don't know!" The man said. "I mean, yes, I knew he was suffering from a head injury, but I wasn't thinking straight when he took the keys from me!"

"To your knowledge, did he ever show signs of epilepsy or suffer from any seizures before?" The paramedic asked him.

"Not that I know of, no!" The man cried.

"Forty-three year old Caucasian male, 5'5" and a hundred and forty pounds; time of death, approx. 1:25am…" Another paramedic was saying from inside the ambulance.

"Sasori!" Deidara exclaimed, and dashed into the back of the waiting ambulance.

"Hey! You're not allowed in there!" The officer he was talking to a moment ago protested from behind him.

"I'm sorry, Sasori, my man, I am so, so, so sorry! I swear! If I had known this would've happened tonight, I would've gone to the bar with you, I'd have driven us there, I'd would have even filled your car up with gas!"

"Sir, come with me, you can't be in there." The officer said, pulling Deidara away from Sasori's lifeless corpse.

"I would've stayed up…with _you_ all night…" Deidara cried, hot tears streaming down his cheeks despite the chilly October air, "had I known that I could've saved your life."

 **-End-**

* * *

 **Well that was sad, don't you agree? Damn.**

 **Fun fact #1: I had the details of this chapter planned before I knew the specifics of chapter three!**

 **Fun fact #2: The specific details regarding the crash follow as such: The ambulance transporting Kakuzu was on its way to the hospital with its lights flashing. Itachi was on his way back home when he saw the flashing lights and suffered from a seizure (due to his concussion - seizures/epilepsy can occur as a result of a concussion, I read, but not always. If Itachi had suffered from a seizure before then, Kisame definitely wouldn't have let him drive anywhere and Itachi probably would've gotten his license suspended/revoked (I don't know the correct term) due to his risk of seizures while driving) and swerved into the lane Sasori was driving home in. Because of Sasori's alcoholic impairment, his reaction time was delayed so he didn't swerve to avoid colliding with Itachi's car. As a result, the crash killed both Itachi and Sasori, and because their cars were blocking the road, the ambulance couldn't get to the hospital in time to save Kakuzu (who probably would've died on the way anyways)**

 **I hope you enjoyed it and I'm sorry for all of you Nagato , Konan, Zetsu and Tobi fans out there who didn't get to see a chapter featuring these guys; the son only contains so many verses to use, and unfortunately, the pairs I've mentioned met their ends before these guys did in the canon! (sorry!)**

 **Any who, please leave a review and tell me what you liked/didn't like, what couldn't been improved upon or what was inaccurate (I can't guarantee I'll go back and fix it, but hey, you never know, right?) and if you had any favorite parts! (I so look forward to hearing these things!) But if you don't review; it's no big deal ;)**

 **Until next time~**

 **Sasori33-001**


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